WHIV 2009 Vol. 5- Hargrove earns his new nickname
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:21 am
Ben Hargrove knew it wasn't going to be easy. He'd been a career .419 hitter in high school, and some were calling him "Hit Machine" when he was drafted by the Hustlers with their 2nd pick in the 2003 Ammy Draft (55th overall pick). Coming into a team such as Las Vegas, he knew that not only would he have to work hard and produce, but everything was going to have to fall into place just right for him to ever get a starting job with the Hustlers.
His transition from high school ball to professional was a tough one. Like many high school stars, the transition from aluminum bats against high school pitchers to wood bats against professionals with multiple pitch arsenals slowed down his track. Hargrove spent his first summer in rookie ball Roswell, hitting just .250. He spent the majority of 2004 in Class A Pahrump, where he was able to improve to a .277 average. Still, a far cry from "a perennial .300 hitter in the majors" as Hustlers scouts had envisioned when he was drafted.
2005 would be a turning point in his career. Wanting to get Hargrove some of his confidence back, he was left in Class A Pahrump to repeat a level and see some professional success. Las Vegas does this regularly with prospects in their system. Once again, it worked, as Hargrove batted .335 that season with a .890 OPS.
IN 2006, he started at Class AA Reno and batted .302 there earning an aggressive bump to Class AAA Milwaukee. He finished the season there and batted .263. He was getting close.
2007 would be a year in which Hargrove stated "I knew I could play at the major league level." He spent the entire season with Milwaukee, and batted
.305 with an .820 OPS. He didn't earn a September callup to the big leagues, a decision that fueled him further for the next season.
In 2008 Hargrove was fully on the Hustlers radar. He hit .333 in Milwaukee, and was shuttling between AAA and the majors. In 155 major league at-bats, he hit .310. "Ben just hits," manager Elroy Futon said. "Not a lot of power, not a lot of walks. But he hits. I guess you could call him a 'Hit Machine'".
"There's that nickname again," Hargrove said. "They tried giving it to me in high school, and now Skip is bringing it back up. I'm not taking it on until I do better than this."
Better than .310? "Yeah, this isn't up to by standards now. .320, .330 that's the type of player I want to be on the big league level if I want to get a job."
In 2009, Hargrove came to camp batting for a starting lineup slot. With veteran Ross White fading into a pinch hitter, the Designated Hitter slot versus RHP was open. Hargrove seized it.
Results have been beyond all expectations. Through May 10, Hargrove is batting .398. This leads the Hustlers, and is second in the Frick League. Take out the eight at-bats he's had against LHP (who he doesn't hit as well), and he's batting a cool .417. "You know, there's a lot of talk about this Sam Sung character in Louisville," Futon said. "There's a comparison to be made between these two, except we think Hargrove is even better."
"You couldn't pry him out of our lineup now," GM Matt Rectenwald said. "Things work out. He's worked hard, and earned his role. He's produced, and at the end of the day production makes decisions easy for us."
"You know what," Hargrove mused. "You can go ahead and give me that nickname now. I'm feeling up to it."
"The Hit Machine". Once, 54 players went before him in a draft. Now, he's the #3 hitter (vs RHP) for the Las Vegas Hustlers.